- Title: Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong urges boycott of Disney's 'Mulan'
- Date: 8th September 2020
- Summary: HONG KONG, CHINA (SEPTEMBER 8, 2020) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) HONG KONG PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVIST JOSHUA WONG, SAYING: "Now it's time for people to through the boycott action to let Disney to know that kowtow to China should not be the way out and for celebrities or any actors that endorse police brutality, the world will give response and backfire to it." VARIOUS OF MULAN POSTER ON DISPLAY AT CINEMA RESIDENTS WALKING INTO CINEMA AT MONGKOK RESIDENTS BUYING MOVIE TICKETS ENTRANCE OF CINEMA AT SHOPPING MALL (SOUNDBITE) (Cantonese) 26-YEAR-OLD HONG KONG RESIDENT AND SALES MARCO TSAI, SAYING: "I won't watch the movie 'Mulan' because the actor Liu Yifei supports the police. Naturally, if you support the government with good reasoning and arguments, it's fine. But the problem is that she didn't have any real awareness of what the protesters and even the government did. If she is just supporting the police blindly, I think it's not good." VARIOUS OF STAFF MEMBER CHECKING BODY TEMPERATURES OF CUSTOMERS AT CINEMA ENTRANCE (SOUNDBITE) (Cantonese) 55-YEAR-OLD HONG KONG RESIDENT AND HOUSEWIFE SHIRLEY LO, SAYING: "The character (Liu played) is that of a righteous person but she said she supports police brutality. The police brutality in Hong Kong, what the police have done, is completely without justice. So she's so different from (the actual Mulan), she is the opposite (of Mulan). It's really ironic (that she's playing her)." BEIJING, CHINA (SEPTEMBER 8, 2020) (REUTERS) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN ZHAO LIJIAN, ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN ZHAO LIJIAN, SAYING: "You're saying that the film 'Mulan' involves Xinjiang issues right? There are a few things I'd like to point out. First, there's no such thing as re-education camps in Xinjiang. The establishment of vocational education and training centres in Xinjiang is in accordance with the law, and actively explores useful methods of how to prevent terrorism and (religious) radicalisation, and is no different at all from the practices of many other countries in the world." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS EXTERIOR OF CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY CHINESE FLAG FLYING
- Embargoed: 22nd September 2020 12:49
- Keywords: Beijing China Disney Hong Kong Hong Kong protest Liu Yifei Mulan Xinjiang police brutality
- Location: HONG KONG, BEIJING, CHINA/INTERNET/UNIDENTIFIED FILMING LOCATIONS/LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES/ LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- City: HONG KONG, BEIJING, CHINA/INTERNET/UNIDENTIFIED FILMING LOCATIONS/LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES/ LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- Country: Hong Kong
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Film,Hong Kong
- Reuters ID: LVA008CUTTHU5
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong has encouraged a global boycott of Walt Disney Co's release "Mulan".
The new movie, which is set in China and is meant to appeal to local audiences in the country, has been the subject of a global backlash over its star's support of Hong Kong police and for being partly filmed in the Xinjiang region, where human rights groups say that Muslim Uighurs are being subject to rights abuses, a charge Beijing strongly denies.
"Now it's time for people to let Disney know through the boycott that kowtowing to China should not be the way out", said Wong said to Reuters.
Launch of the live-action remake on Disney's streaming platform and in cinemas this month has been followed by the use of hashtags "#BoycottMulan" and "#BanMulan" on Twitter, promoted by activists not only in Hong Kong but also in Taiwan and Thailand.
The hashtags first emerged last year after Mulan's star, Chinese actress Liu Yifei, expressed support on social media for the police in Hong Kong, which was roiled by anti-government unrest. But the movie's links to the western region of Xinjiang, where China's clampdown on ethnic Uighurs has drawn widespread condemnation, have also come in for criticism after a number of Xinjiang government entities were cited in its credits.
Some local residents in Hong Kong said they had been following the controversy and supported the boycott.
"The character (Liu played) is that of a righteous person but she said she supports police brutality. The police brutality in Hong Kong, what the police have done, is completely without justice. So she's so different from (the actual Mulan), she is the opposite (of Mulan). It's really ironic (that she's playing her)," said 55-year-old housewife Shirley Lo.
Liu has expressed support for the police, saying on a social media account last year: "I support the Hong Kong police. You can all hit me. What a shame for Hong Kong." Liu does not appear to have expressed any support for 'police brutality'.
Asked about the reaction to the film's Xinjiang shooting, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian restated Beijing's denial of the existence of re-education camps in the region, calling facilities there vocational and educational institutions and accusing anti-China forces of smearing its Xinjiang policy.
Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
The movie, reported to have cost $200 million to produce, had been scheduled to reach theaters in March, but its release was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Last month, Disney said Mulan would skip most theaters and go directly to its Disney+ platform. The movie is set for release in mainland China on September 11 and in Hong Kong on September 17.
(Production: Yoyo Chow, Aleksander Solum) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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